Piedmont edges Southmoore, 2-1, in matchup between defending state fast pitch softball champions

Both the Wildcats and SaberCats face challenges at upcoming regional tournaments

By Michael Kinney

OKLAHOMA CITY - When Southmoore (Class 6A) and Piedmont (5A) faced off Monday evening, the fast pitch squads were not only closing out their regular season schedule, but also tightening down their crowns as they prepared themselves for an all-out assault on their titles. 

As the defending fast pitch state champions of the two largest classifications in Oklahoma, they know every team they will face going forward is looking to dethrone them.

The Monday night tune-up was one way to help prepare them for the competitive intensity of another title run.

“We try to play the best teams we can play,” Piedmont coach Keith Coleman said. “Obviously, Southmoore in the last decade has been the best high school fast pitch program in Oklahoma. Coach (Jason) Lingo does a great job.

"We feel like we won’t play anyone better than them. So we try to play them every year that we can.”

This year, the game went down to the final at-bat. The Wildcats held a one-run lead in the bottom of the seventh inning.

The SaberCats needed just one big swing to tie the contest and send it into extra innings.

However, Piedmont shut down the batters in order as they came away with more than just a 2-1 victory.

“It gives us good pitching to hit off of,” Piedmont’s Karissa Fiegener said. “It just helps our mentality of facing good pitchers and good hitters; helps us get in the mindset of playing good teams at state.”

Despite the loss, the SaberCats also plan to use the contest as a reminder of what level they need to be at if they have any hopes to retain their championship.

“Out of this game, I am hoping that we take that we have to be on every single game and we need to be able to make adjustments quicker,” Southmoore’s Taitum Bradshaw said. “Towards the end of the game, we did start making them, but we didn’t do it in time.

"They are a good team and we have to be when we play a team like that. And that is all state championship-type teams that we’re going to face.”

While the contest was tight, Piedmont and Southmoore find themselves entering the 2022 postseason on different trajectories.

“I'll be honest with you, we were really terrible (Monday),” Lingo said. “We haven't been swinging it very well lately. We're in a little bit of a rut, and the girls know it and they're working hard to try to get out of it.

"But it's crunch time now. There's no more trying it. It's time to get out of it.”

Southmoore (28-9) has now lost three of its last four games at the wrong time of the season. It’s not the type of streak the defending champion is used to being on as they start the postseason.

But as Lingo has had to remind this version of the SaberCats, they have to create their own path to the title.

“Sometimes I feel like maybe they think people are going to roll over for us,” Lingo said. “And that's not how athletics is. That's not the way the world works. In fact, it's the opposite.

"You're getting their best shot, you're getting their number one every time because they're going to want to beat Southmoore because they haven't done it in a long time. Very few people have, and we've been really successful. But we're not that team right now, and I've told our girls that last year's home runs don't win this year's games.”

Conversely, Piedmont (32-3) enters the 5A postseason riding high, winning 15 of its past 16 games. The only loss in that span came to Jenks (30-6) on Sept. 30.

Led by players such as Fiegener, Payten Schibbelhute, Tabor Moss and Tyler Short, the Wildcats have the talent to bring the championship back home again to Piedmont.

“We are more experienced. I think we're better than we were last year,” Coleman said. “I think we pitched overall better than we did last year. Our number one pitcher, Payten Schibbelhute, didn't play (Monday); she's kind of nursing a little hamstring injury. We wanted to make sure she's good to go for regionals.

"But our two and three pitchers we feel comfortable with can go compete and give us a chance to win against pretty much anyone we play.”

Southmoore will face Putnam City West, Deer Creek and Norman in its regional. The SaberCats are expected to face Deer Creek for the regional championship.

The Wildcats' regional bracket includes Noble, Lawton Eisenhower and Santa Fe South. While they have not faced EHS or Santa Fe South, they swept two games against Noble by a combined score of 25-3 earlier in the season.

Both teams begin the playoffs Wednesday when they host regionals at their park. Despite both programs holding multiple titles, the regional round has both teams unwilling to look too far ahead.

“Two years ago, we were 30-5 and got beat in the regional tournament,” Coleman said. “So, I'm not thinking about the state tournament. We've got to get out of regionals first.”

Lingo is also anticipating a challenging regional for his squad.

“We have the toughest regional we've ever had at Southmoore in the 15 years we've been open,” Lingo said. “Deer Creek is a really good team; they have a really good pitcher. They have a good lineup up and down. They work hard at trying to get the ball in play and moving runners around and scoring runs, and they manufacture it well.

"So, we're going to have to pitch well and play defense well. And obviously, our hitting has to come around a little bit, but I think we're going to work the next two days and try to get that up as much as possible.”